Family of dead man, others seek damages from King County

Updated 10:00 pm, Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sabrina and Jeffrey Dahlquist talk Wednesday about their son, Michael, and their suit against King County Metro in Seattle.

Sabrina and Jeffrey Dahlquist talk Wednesday about their son, Michael, and their suit against King County Metro in Seattle.

Photo: Meryl Schenker/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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$106.7 million suit filed over bus crash

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Victims of an accident involving a Metro bus filed $106.7 million in claims against King County on Wednesday and said they plan to take the county to court over the crash that ended Michael Dahlquist's life.

Dahlquists' parents blamed the bus driver, the county and the drivers union for the fatal accident last spring and for not taking steps to remove the bus driver earlier from her job.

"I can't imagine my life without him ... but we have to because of (bus driver) Sandie Olosky's poor judgment," Sabrina Dahlquist said tearfully at a Wednesday news conference.

Olosky, 35, was driving a bus that crossed the centerline of state Route 164 near Enumclaw in April and collided with two vehicles, hitting one head-on.

Michael Dahlquist, 21, of Enumclaw, was the driver of a pickup truck that was hit head-on. He was killed instantly. A passenger, Aaron Stingl, was injured.

Criminal charges have not been filed against Olosky, though King County prosecutors have referred the case to the State Patrol, expecting a citation for second-degree negligent driving, said Dan Dohonoe, King County Prosecutor's Office spokesman.

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Prosecutors said last week that they couldn't justify charging Olosky with a vehicular-homicide felony because speeding, drugs and alcohol weren't involved.

Victims of the crash, through their attorneys, said they were disappointed in that decision, given Olosky's long record of complaints, minor accidents and a 2005 firing that was later overturned.

The victims initiated legal action because, "King County Metro put a dangerous, reckless and ultimately life-taking bus driver on the roadway," Dahlquist family attorney Steve Bulzomi said Wednesday.Jeffrey Dahlquist said that his son's death "should not have happened in the first place, had the county, Metro and (Olosky's) union done their jobs to protect passengers and the public."

He complained about the length of time it took for prosecutors to reject a felony charge, suggesting it was delayed until after this month's election "without any bad publicity about our son's case."

But Dohonoe denied the holdup was because of the election, saying it was because "there was still follow-up work going on."

The news conference was held in a room filled with pictures of Michael Dahlquist. He was a construction worker, avid hunter and snowmobiler, single, living at home and "just starting to be an adult," his mother said. A memorial with his picture remains at the accident site.

Olosky declined comment Wednesday and referred calls to her attorney, who did not return messages. County officials also declined comment on the claims.

In addition to the Dahlquists, claims were filed Wednesday on behalf of Stingl; John Gillespie, the driver of the SUV also hit by the bus; and Heather Gillespie, his wife.

Olosky was the subject of dozens of complaints about her driving and handling of customers, including allegations of speeding, following other vehicles too close and being rude to riders.

Metro fired Olosky in 2005 for failing to announce a bus stop, getting into a dispute with riders and stopping a bus in unsafe conditions. But an arbitrator overturned that firing, and Olosky returned to work last year.

But early this month, Metro fired her again because of the Enumclaw accident, which the agency deemed "severe" and "preventable." Olosky filed a grievance to overturn the firing, but this time, her union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, has decided not to act, "based on the facts," said local President Lance Norton.

The Dahlquists said part of their motive for legal action was forcing Metro to improve oversight of its drivers.

Metro Operations Manager Jim O'Rourke said the agency is "tightening up" its rules on handling customer complaints; O'Rourke wouldn't elaborate, but Norton said he suspects the changes would allow earlier actions against employees who were subjects of complaints. Metro will discuss the changes with the union, which is also negotiating a new work contract with the agency.

Asked how Olosky managed to hold her job as long as she did in the face of ongoing complaints about her driving, O'Rourke said: "I certainly empathize with the family, but I don't have any particular response to that."